Marlon Brando's patrilineal ancestor, Johann Wilhelm Brandau, was a German immigrant to New York in the early 1700s. Marlon must have had the genes for his part in this rather soggy drama, as "Christian" --- would you believe! Actually, in real life, Brando was raised as a Christian Scientist. See Wikipedia. He did not play a Nazi in this film, in spite of what some reviewers say. They could not have been listening to the dialogue. Nor was he a member of the SS. He is supposed to have been a Bavarian cobbler, living in a mountainous ski-resort, who should have stuck to his last. Why does he then say: "Uh, I vish I vas back in Austria! I vish I was beck in ze snow... in ze vinter... in ze mountains..." ???? The truth is, in spite of what is misquoted on this site, he doesn't say "Austria". There is something faintly ludicrous in the motorcycle scene, with two Germans, Brando (Brando is NOT a Nazi --- another misdescription) and Schell, talking to each other in English with German accents. The language problem remains unsolved in many movies.
There's something dissatisfying about this movie, but difficult to say exactly what. It's certainly overlong. It also seems just a wee bit too goody-good for its own good, and therefore lacks the bite that it might and ought to have had. Dean Martin is an unattractive character; Clift is just too shy, sweet, and weedy for words; Brando is very good, very charming, and makes one keep wishing the Germans had won. Some very silly reviewers wonder if his German accent would be considered plausible by Germans. How the devil would they be able to tell? I thought it was excellent --- better than his English accent, when he played the Fop on the Bounty.
Worth a watch, but very dated. Will appeal more to Americans. Half-marks.
There's something dissatisfying about this movie, but difficult to say exactly what. It's certainly overlong. It also seems just a wee bit too goody-good for its own good, and therefore lacks the bite that it might and ought to have had. Dean Martin is an unattractive character; Clift is just too shy, sweet, and weedy for words; Brando is very good, very charming, and makes one keep wishing the Germans had won. Some very silly reviewers wonder if his German accent would be considered plausible by Germans. How the devil would they be able to tell? I thought it was excellent --- better than his English accent, when he played the Fop on the Bounty.
Worth a watch, but very dated. Will appeal more to Americans. Half-marks.